The government has officially launched its ‘New Homes Accelerator’ to ‘release hundreds of thousands of new homes stuck in the planning system’.

Deputy PM and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has given more details of the initiative, which was first trailed by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her keynote speech on July 8 following Labour’s election victory.

It is part of the government’s plans for the construction of 1.5m new homes over the next five years.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) says the New Homes Accelerator could unlock 200 large sites and deliver up to 300,000 homes.

It is forming an ‘experienced team’ from the (MHCLG) and Homes England to work with councils, housebuilders and other government agencies to accelerate the build-out of such schemes delayed by planning issues and ‘red tape’.

The MHCLG has also called for housebuilders, local authorities and landowners to submit details of blocked sites with significant planning issues for it to consider.

According to the government, the New Homes Accelerator task force will:

• Work to resolve specific local issues and deploy planning experts on the ground to work through blockages at each site identified
• Look at barriers to affordable housing delivery where relevant
• Provide resources to support local planning capacity where there are barriers

It says that four large housing sites already progressing will deliver over 14,000 homes in Liverpool, Worcester, Northstowe and Sutton Coldfield.

More detail is yet to emerge about potential key sites in Dorset, Hampshire and the South.

This latest move by the government is encouraging and we hope it will take into account wider planning issues hampering development, such as nutrient neutrality, as well as those challenges faced on specific key sites.

Please contact us to find out more about the government’s reforms and what they mean for your plans, project or development.